A DETECTIVE swindled more than £3,000 after cheating on her council tax for a decade, a court ruled.

DC Karen Colbran of Sussex criminal investigation department (CID) defrauded thousands in reductions by telling the council she lived alone.

But Colban, who investigated serious and complex crime as part of her job, lived with her partner the whole time.

Colbran, who was described by colleagues as bold, professional and tenacious, looked shocked when a jury in Lewes took less than half an hour to convict her of council tax fraud.

The Argus:

She sobbed as the court heard the guilty verdict.

The Sussex Police detective, originally from Kirkcaldy in Fife, applied for a backdated single person discount on her council tax in 2008 and kept on claiming for ten years.

Colbran, 52, has been with Sussex Police for 24 years and has been a detective for 18 years.

She was a special constable in Fife before leaving Scotland.

Gemma White for the Crown told the jury Colbran claimed single person discount on her council tax from 2008 to 2018 and received £3255.27 in discounted bills.

She said: "Throughout that period, she was representing something to the local authority which she knew was false, misleading and untrue and was, therefore, effectively dishonest."

The court heard her partner Paul McCloud, 55, was living with her.

Colbran filled in police vetting forms declaring Mr McCloud had lived with her at her home address in Hailsham since 2007.

She told the court she thought council tax fraud was a civil matter despite being interviewed under caution.

She said: "I just thought I had forgotten to tell them. I know I'm a serving police officer. I thought council tax would be civil. I didn't realise it was going to come as far as this."

Colbran will be sentenced next month.